We continue our countdowns with this years top 10 worst games we’ve reviewed. This year, we ventured into the unknown, so we didn’t know what to expect.
2024 marked a continuation of our adventurous side. First of all, we decided to try and hit a few more large RPG game series that is largely released on DOS. Additionally, we played loads of Game Boy Advance games to try and get a much better understanding of mobile gaming. Towards the end, however, we also slipped to playing some GameCube games.
The timing of getting into GameCube games is actually quite intentional. Previously, when it came to games, we got our first impressions of the generation by playing Nintendo games. We played N64 games long before we gave the Playstation games a try. So, we decided to take this as an opportunity to reverse this. We haven’t played very many GameCube games and thought it was only fair to allow the Playstation side to get the first impression. So, we played Playstation 2 games first before we played GameCube. The idea is to try and find a way to not be prejudice for one system over another. This solves a lot of possible problem with our review process as a result.
While this is an interesting experiment, that isn’t the only one we had this year. This year, we also started to play Steam games. This in an effort to broaden our gaming horizons. Additionally, this is our effort to boldly step into a more modern era of gaming. Some of you might be thinking, “Half-Life 2 is ‘Modern’?” Well, when you compare that game to, say, Atari 5200 games, yes, it’s very very modern by comparison. The other practical upshot is the fact that playing these games paves the way for moving into even more modern gaming.
So, this year is definitely a continuation of not only experimentation into the unknown, but also an effort to further broaden our horizons. One thing is for sure, we are excited to see what next year has in store for us given where things are headed.
Still, while we got a lot of novel new experiences, not all experiences were amazing. That leads us to the top 10 worst games we’ve reviewed this year. Lets find out what didn’t make the cut for us:
10. Might and Magic: Book One – Secret of the Inner Sanctum (16-Bit DOS)
Sometimes, in order to have a great game series, you end up starting off with a few duds. This is especially true with Might and Magic. I highly recommend this series, but not for the first entry. With hard to find clues to advance in the game along with a steep learning curve, this game is not terrible, but it’s not exactly the best experience you’ll ever have by any means.
Score: 58%
9. Might and Magic II – Gates to Another World (16-Bit DOS)
So, if Might and Magic is such a great series, what game should one start with. As I found out with this game, it’s definitely not the second one (the answer: definitely the third game). While this game continues with a number of compelling features, this game does grind after a while. At first, it’s manageable, but after a bit, you hit a wall and the game becomes exceedingly difficult to push on even when you “cheat” by repeatedly completing quests for bonus XP. With additional unnecessary repetition, this game also winds up being a game I would not recommend.
Score: 58%
8. Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (Playstation 2)
This is where the list gets to be a bit surprising. For us, we really enjoyed the Breath of Fire series. As it turns out, the rule is that the series has to be released on the Super Nintendo. After that, the game falls apart and ends on this sour note. While it was interesting to see this game go fully 3D, a lot of basics seemingly went by the wayside. As such, you get a somewhat incomplete and difficult experience with this entry. Disappointing for a series that started off so strong, really.
Score: 56%
7. Breath of Fire III (Playstation)
A perfectly reasonable question is this: Where did this series go off the rails? For us, it’s this game. For one, this game boasts a jerky difficulty curve as well as large learning curves to boot. With the layers of complexity thrown in the way they were, it winds up coming off as a game with a hastily thrown together collection of ideas rather than a complete package. Considering what the previous entry offered, this is a huge disappointment.
Score: 52%
6. Marble Madness / Klax (Game Boy Advance)
One sure-fire way to attract players is to package old classics into a handheld system and let players play their favourites while on the move. The Game Boy Advance was very well known for doing that with a lot of games. Unfortunately, not all ports are created equal. This is definitely a great example of this. Marble Madness was a great game on the NES. In this port, not so much with the downgrades graphics and reduction in levels. As for Klax, well, that game never impressed us to begin with. So, this game wound up with a pretty poor score as a result.
Score: 52%
5. Super Monkey Ball Adventure (GameCube)
We are now going into the top 5 for this year. The first entry is a game that was like mixing water with oil. For those who played a Monkey Ball game already, here’s a question: Can you visualize this puzzle game as a massive adventure/platforming game like Super Mario? No? Neither did we. Nevertheless, the developers had the urge to try and ram this square peg into a round hole with, well, pretty predictable results. Steep difficulty and learning curves mixed with annoying cameras and bad controls. It’s actually impressive this game even got a passing grade in the first place, really.
Score: 50%
4. ChuChu Rocket (Game Boy Advance)
Before we got into this one, we actually heard good things about this game. A cute puzzle game that really makes you think. Well, it made us think, but the simplicity wound up being laid a little thick on this one. At first, there is a sense of novelty with how this puzzle game works. After that, repetition takes over to the point where you eventually ask yourself “why am I still playing this, anyway?” For us, the eventual answer wound up being, “I don’t know.”
Score: 50%
3. Midnight Club: Street Racing (Game Boy Advance)
Moving into our top 3, we have this game. On consoles and PC, the concept of point to point racing works quite well. A simple map on the side and an indicator of where you need to go is all you really need. Now, picture such a game with a top down perspective. Take away the map. Leave only an arrow on the top to guide you. Also, make the opponents exceedingly difficult to defeat after a while. That’s what you get in the end: this clunker of a game.
Score: 50%
2. Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (16-Bit DOS)
If we thought Might and Magic got off to a rocky start, apparently, we haven’t seen anything yet. While this franchise has its fans, we couldn’t for the life of us, even get close to enjoying this one. With high food requirements, nearly impossible to figure out controls, and a difficulty curve that makes levelling up seem redundant, giving up early was about the best thing we could do so we don’t throw the keyboard through the monitor. It just wound up being a bad game all around.
Score: 44%
1. Medal of Honor: Underground (Game Boy Advance)
Once again, this years worst game we’ve played was, well, quite undisputed. You could say that this game pushed the boundaries by being an FPS on the Game Boy Advance, but just because you are one of the first to accomplish something doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve accomplished a great game in general. With clunky controls, slow frame rate, and bad graphics, this game simply doesn’t work at all to provide a positive experience. No question this is the worst game we’ve played all year.
Score: 36%
Honourable Mentions
There is some good news to be had here in this list. This year, we only have one honourable mention. That is definitely a sign that we got a much more competitive bunch of games this year. In fact, we wondered if we’ll have 10 games that would make the list. As it turns out, we do, but only have one game to spare. This years sole honourable mention goes to…
F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (Game Boy Advance):
This is a game that not only has a high degree of difficulty, but also bad controls to boot. While there is great audio and graphics, that wasn’t enough to save this one. Eventually, I was pounded into submission and found myself not recommending this game.
Score: 60%
This concludes the top 10 worst games list. A bit shorter this year, but it’s hard to complain about that, really. Join us tomorrow as we count down the top 10 best games we’ve reviewed this year!
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
